1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to mattresses, specifically to an inclined pulmonary-assisting mattress with a defined profile that assists infants and small children with asthma, wheezing, colic, acid reflux, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), cerebral palsy, and other adverse medical conditions involving at least one breathing or digestive issue. It is beneficial for children suffering from ear infections, as well, as pressure tends to build up, causing a lot of pain for children sleeping in a flat position.
The inclined pulmonary-assisting mattress of the present invention can be used with a crib, bassinette, and other sleeping area where its size appreciably fills or otherwise complements the area to eliminate all risk of infant/child injury, entrapment, and breathing obstruction. With increased adult supervision, and particularly when used with younger children who do not reposition themselves frequently during sleep, the pulmonary-assisting mattress of the present invention can be placed on a floor or other flat surface in a position away from objects (soft or hard), young siblings, or access by pets or other things that could impair the health or well being of the infant or small child while asleep.
In addition, the present invention inclined pulmonary-assisting mattress is not used on top of another mattress, such as a crib mattress, but instead replaces a crib mattress until the infant recovers or outgrows the breathing difficulty, other adverse medical condition, or the present invention's defined profile which is most beneficial for those with smaller stature. Thereafter, when no longer needed to assist with a medical condition, or when its defined profile is no longer beneficial, the present invention inclined pulmonary-assisting mattress is removed and replaced by a different mattress or sleeping support. Intended applications for the present invention include, but are not limited to, use in hospital neo-natal units, children's nurseries, and by parents of infants or small children suffering from at least one breathing or digestive issue/disorder.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wedge-shaped pillows are commonly sold in retail stores and on the Internet to assist adults with acid reflux disease while they sleep. These pillows are used on top of a mattress or other flat surface to elevate the head and a portion of the upper torso so that the upper end of the esophagus becomes positioned at a higher elevation than the stomach, reducing esophageal damage and tooth erosion by stomach acid during sleep. In addition, a search of U.S. Patent records revealed a variety of devices that provide a non-planar sleeping surface for many different applications, including inflatable mattresses, cushion assemblies, mattresses with added support in specific locations for orthopedic use, immobilizers used for imaging and radiation therapy purposes, and a hunting mat usable under a sleeping person which has an elevated surface for the head.
Three of these inventions, those in U.S. Pat. No. 5,448,790 to Saro (1995) for a Selectively Arrangeable Cushion Assembly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,171,549 to Morrell and Gray (1979) for a Cushion Arrangement, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,415,743 (2008) to Rubio for an Inclined Bed, disclose human support structures with differing cushion arrangements, each having a plurality of wedged-shaped pillows arranged in a variety of body-supporting positions that can incline the head, neck, and shoulders of the supported person above the elevation of the lower torso and/or legs. While the Saro invention was created to assist adults and children with neuro-muscular damage, the Morrell and Gray invention provides a comfortable lounge chair, and the Rubio invention provides a generally V-shaped child's bed with a fitted sheet holding all components together, all are assembled with multiple cushions that pose a risk of entrapment, breathing obstruction, or other injury to infants and small children. In contrast, the present invention inclined pulmonary-assisting mattress has a one-piece construction and is the only sleeping surface upon which an infant or small child is supported during sleep. Furthermore, the inclined bed disclosed in Rubio and another invention in U.S. Pat. No. 7,007,330 to Kuiper (2006) for a patient turning and lifting device both have high sides to retain the patient upon it during lifting/moving and other activity. However, high sides could create a breathing blockage or obstruction similar to that previously provided by parents' use of interior crib bumpers, and high sides would not be appropriate for the present invention intended for infant use. The Rubio and Kuiper inventions also lack a U-shaped concave area communicating with the bottom end of the present invention upper torso support and the inverted U-shaped convex lower torso bump/stop that maintains a child's upper torso against the inclined upper torso support.
While other mattresses and bed systems are also known that elevate a person's head and feet above the lower torso, each has at least one disadvantage that prevents safe use with infants and small children. For example, the inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,848,137 to Barnes (2005) for an incline-adjustable air mattress, U.S. Design Pat. D543,064 to Hale (2007) for a mattress, and U.S. Design Pat. 543,407 to Thom (2007) for a portable bed system, all have an area for engaging the seat and upper leg area of a person using it. However, the hip and upper leg supporting areas in these inventions are too long and flat to effectively maintain the minimum incline for the head, neck and upper torso of an infant or small child needed to provide it with relief from the breathing or digestive issue adversely affecting it. Instead, an infant or small child would easily and readily slip in a downwardly direction from the proper positioning needed to assist it.
Also, although the orthopedic bed with inflatable chambers disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,862 to Rygiel (1998) may initially appear similar in structure to the present invention, it is not suitable for use with infants and small children having breathing or digestive issues. First, its inflatable lumbar supporting chamber 7 is unnecessary during use with infants and small children, and inflatable lumbar supporting chamber 7 is different in structure and purpose from the present invention protrusion (upward “bump” or “stop”) which acts as a hip and leg stop to prevent a child from moving downwardly away from the beneficial incline provided by the surface intended for upper torso and head support. Furthermore, the Rygiel bed's upper foundation member is generally triangular in longitudinal cross section and does not appear to raise a user′ head and upper torso significantly above the user's hip area and legs for the needed breathing relief provided by the present invention. Similar to the lumbar support of the Rygiel invention, U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,687 to Iwase (1988) discloses a substantially flat mattress with a soft structure predisposed at a predetermined lengthwise location so that it engages the lower back vertebrae to prevent them from sinking during human sleep, assuring better sleep. Although the Iwase invention teaches a soft upward protrusion from the top surface of a mattress that engages back vertebrae, the present invention's upward protrusion (convex lower torso bump/stop) provides a differing function and acts as a bump/stop engaging the hips, legs, and feet of an infant or small child to prevent it from slipping in a downward direction away from its elevated top end where the highest elevation occurs and provides it with the needed breathing assistance.
Although the hunting mat in U.S. Pat. No. 6,895,614 to Peck (2005) teaches an inclined support on one of its ends for the head and neck of a user with an inclined surface that slopes more than the 20-degree to 25-degree incline typically found in prior art sleeping devices, since it does not have a convex lower torso bump/stop to prevent an infant from moving in a downward direction toward its horizontally-extending lower section, the angled orientation of an infant or small child upon Peck's inclined surface would not be preserved for very long after initial placement on it, and there are safety issues also should the Peck hunting mat be used for infants and small children. In addition, the following inventions also would fail for one or more stated reasons if used to provide breathing or digestive assistance for an infant or small child. U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,917 to Harris (1972) discloses an inflatable cushion for a user's back and neck that is divided into ribbed sections and appears to provide a greater than 50-degree angle of elevation, which would be too steep for use with an infant or small child. Furthermore, the present invention requires the structure of a mattress, and not just a cushion for the neck and head, so that it alone supports a child at medical risk of encountering breathing problems or other difficulty once it falls asleep with its head at the same or lower elevation than its heart. The present invention also provides a convex lower torso bump/stop and has a preferred angle for its upper torso support in the range of approximately 35-degrees to 45-degrees.
In addition, the two-part mattress in U.S. Design Pat. D479,082 to Daughtry (2003), has too long an area for engaging the seat and upper leg area of an infant, which would prevent the infant from achieving the targeted incline of approximately 35-degrees to 45-degrees. Although the external immobilizer in U.S. Pat. No. 8,607,385 to Isham (2013) used for imaging purposes has illustrations showing an upward protrusion positioned to engage the back of a patient's partially-stretched knees, there is no head incline that places the lowest portion of the top surface of the present invention about three-eighths of the way downward from the top end of the present invention. Similarly, the Taricani infant support apparatus is designed to support a child lying in a prone position and to allow safe and secure positioning of the child thereon through the use of retaining straps. The Tarcani invention can be sized for use in a person's lap, while the present invention is a larger mattress that fills a crib that protects all portions of the infant using it to prevent injury or breathing obstruction. In contrast, the present invention is only used to support an infant on its back. No invention is known to have all of the features and advantages of the present invention.